Whether you’re buying or selling, here’s a list of players to consider making a move on before it’s too late.
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Players to Buy
Allen Robinson (WR – CHI)
After his brutal matchup with Jalen Ramsey on Monday Night Football, the road will get a bit easier for Robinson, who’s been a target magnet no matter who’s been under center for the Bears. The idea is to buy a player who’s had some recent down performances, especially one who’s among the league leaders in targets. With matchups against the Saints, Titans, and Vikings coming up, his value will be on the rise.
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)
I don’t even care if I’m buying high on him. With Kyle Allen under center, Washington is clearly willing to throw the ball a bit more. Despite being in a neutral gamescript in Week 6 and a blowout gamescript in Week 7, McLaurin has seen 23 targets that have netted 14 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. Remember D.J. Moore last year? Well, that’s McLaurin this year with Allen as his quarterback in the same offense. He’s a borderline WR1 for the remainder of the season.
Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)
These are the moments you have to capitalize on as a fantasy player. Many were expecting a smash performance out of Andrews considering the matchup with the Eagles, who’d been extremely generous to tight ends coming into that game. Andrews has been extremely hit-or-miss and that can be frustrating to some fantasy managers. Try to take advantage of that because if you’ve been trying to stream tight ends, you know just how hard this year has been for the non-elite tight ends. With Andrews, at least you get top-three potential every single week. His bye week is already out of the way as well.
Latavius Murray (RB – NO)
Murray is the type of player who can win fantasy championships. If you trade for him now, you’re trading for a player who can be plugged in as a flex option most weeks. Even if you’re expected to pay RB3 prices, that’s fine. We know he’ll be around that value with Kamara in the lineup, but if Kamara were to miss any time, Murray would likely be considered a top-three play every week. There’s two values with him, and most don’t understand the value he should carry.
Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN)
This is the moment you swoop in and buy Tannehill. He posted a mediocre stat line against the Steelers where he finished with 17.3 fantasy points, which is better than most realize. That’s 100 percent startable and not going to cost you a week. Fun fact: He’s now scored at least 17.3 fantasy points in 15-of-17 games as the Titans starter. Knowing he’s already gotten his bye week out of the week, you should consider him a plug-and-play quarterback every week.
Sterling Shepard (WR – NYG)
Some might think, “Oh, it’s just a decent performance in a bad offense.” Well, bad offenses score fantasy points, too. Taking away the game he needed to leave against the Bears, Shepard has now seen at least six targets in each of his last 18 games. That is tremendous for those who are looking for a cheap wide receiver they can plug-and-play most weeks.
Tom Brady (QB – TB)
We now know that Antonio Brown will join the receiving corps of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans in Week 9, which is only going to boost the stock of Brady. When you look at the rest of season rankings and there are three Bucs receivers in the top-36, you want the guy who’s going to be delivering those fantasy points. While the Bucs receivers will be difficult to predict on a week-to-week basis, Brady shouldn’t be.
Gardner Minshew (QB – JAC)
If you’re in a 2QB format, the last thing you want to hear is “there’s a chance he gets benched.” Those are the rumors out of Jacksonville, as the team is reportedly putting him on a shorter leash. Minshew was a great pick in Superflex/2QB leagues due to the lack of options behind him on the depth chart. Unless you believe that Mike Glennon will suddenly be a better option, I’m not buying the rumors. This could be your chance to get a top-15 rest of season quarterback at a discount.
Irv Smith Jr. (TE – MIN)
He’s now seen five targets in back-to-back games, but what you really need to know about is the trends in his playing time. His routes run have gone: 16, 17, 17, 12, 31, 28. It’s almost like a lightbulb went off and the Vikings started playing him more. His 59 routes in the last two weeks rank eighth among tight ends. It’s paid off, too, as he’s turned those 10 targets into eight receptions for 119 yards.
Sammy Watkins (WR – KC)
Prior to getting hurt against the Raiders, Watkins had seen at least seven targets in 3-of-4 games, highlighting his role in the offense. Even with him out of the lineup, we saw Demarcus Robinson targeted quite a bit. Being tied to the Chiefs offense is something that needs to be valued. We also saw Mecole Hardman struggle to get on the field, even with Watkins out, so it’s not as if his role is in danger. If he is on the waiver wire, snag him. If he’s on someone’s team, have him thrown in as part of a bigger deal.
Players to Sell
Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)
There are going to be some who view this as a buy-low window for Elliott. I’m not one of them. The offense struggling to put points on the board, and it doesn’t appear there’s an end in sight, as the offensive line lost stud left tackle Tyron Smith a few weeks back, and then lost Zach Martin to a concussion. While we expect Martin to return, this team is in complete disarray, and Elliott might be able to get you a much bigger return than he’s worth based on name-brand value.
Mike Evans (WR – TB)
It’s been a very bumpy season with Evans to this point and it’s only going to get worse. The Bucs shocked everyone when they signed Antonio Brown to a one-year deal, which presents real issues for Evans (and everyone else) to see consistent targets. You do not bring in someone like Brown to NOT target him. If you want to hang onto Evans for one more week because of his matchup with the Giants, that’s fine, but understand that his value might dip even more if he struggles in that matchup. I’d rather have someone like Will Fuller than Evans moving forward.
DeVante Parker (WR – MIA)
The bye week seemed to come at the right time for Parker, as he’s been playing through some nicks and bruises. It’s led to some inconsistent production, as he’s totaled just five receptions over the last two games, and now has a rookie quarterback under center. Those are concerns, as is his matchup with the Rams in Week 8, which will only drop his fantasy stock. It might be a good time to capitalize on the hype surrounding Tua Tagovailoa. Don’t dismiss the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick is much better for wide receivers than most quarterbacks in the league.
D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
You shouldn’t be giving him away but rather selling high after two solid games. Some fantasy managers just look at fantasy points without looking at the potential that the player keeps producing at the level he has. Here’s all you need to know: Swift has received just 44.8 percent of the Lions running back touches over the last two weeks. If that keeps up, he’s going to be extremely touchdown-dependent, which is not something you want out of someone who fantasy managers may be valuing as a borderline RB1.
Mike Gesicki (TE – MIA)
He’s coming off his bye week, which you can use as a selling point in trade negotiations. There are also a lot of people high on Tua Tagovailoa under center. We cannot forget he’s a rookie and it’s rare to see them come in and do well immediately. Not just that, but Gesicki’s role has been ultra-inconsistent. His weekly fantasy finishes have been 24, 2, 15, 45, 7, and 76.
Player to Hold
A.J. Green (WR – CIN)
If you have Green, you’re likely going to receive some trade offers. Unless someone is willing to overpay, you should hold. Green is right back in the WR3 discussion after racking up 24 targets over the last two weeks. After spending a year out of football, it’s possible that Green was like Rob Gronkowski and just needed to get into game shape. I’m a fan of holding Green and not selling.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.